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Defying Convention
Danny and AJ have been online friends for years, and secretly in love with each other. When the opportunity to attend a comics convention comes up, they decide to go and share a room. But friendship online does not always translate to friendship offline, and both are anxious about how the meeting will go, and the friendship change, when faced with challenges easily avoided behind the safety of computer screens…
73 pages, ebook
First published January 28, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 23, 2015
Defying Convention is an unexpected and delightful novella that delves into meeting your best friend and the person you love for the very first time. Danny and AJ have been constant fixtures in each other’s lives for the last five years, but thanks to the internet, they’ve never been in the same room as one another. Brought together by fanfiction and fandom – with hours of getting their nerd on together online - Danny and AJ decide to spend the weekend with one another at a fan convention.
I saw this novella on the Less than Three website and knew I had to read it as soon as possible. When I saw that it was on NetGalley I jumped, and I am so glad I did. Defying Convention was everything I was expecting it to be and more. It was a sweet romance that left me wanting to know more about AJ and Danny, had me wanting to continue where it left off into their long-term story.
Beyond just being a sweet romance, it also offered representation of transgender and non-binary identities that is so rarely seen in published fiction. That fact alone was enough to have me pick up the novella. Defying Convention explores self-acceptance, anxiety, meeting online friends, and making spaces for yourself in a way that will come off as honest and familiar to many readers who are active in fandoms or even just on Twitter.
I definitely recommend that people spend the few dollars to pick up this story, it’s worth it!
I saw this novella on the Less than Three website and knew I had to read it as soon as possible. When I saw that it was on NetGalley I jumped, and I am so glad I did. Defying Convention was everything I was expecting it to be and more. It was a sweet romance that left me wanting to know more about AJ and Danny, had me wanting to continue where it left off into their long-term story.
Beyond just being a sweet romance, it also offered representation of transgender and non-binary identities that is so rarely seen in published fiction. That fact alone was enough to have me pick up the novella. Defying Convention explores self-acceptance, anxiety, meeting online friends, and making spaces for yourself in a way that will come off as honest and familiar to many readers who are active in fandoms or even just on Twitter.
I definitely recommend that people spend the few dollars to pick up this story, it’s worth it!
April 5, 2017
DEFYING CONVENTION is the story of two online friends who are in love with each other and finally meet in person at a comic convention.
On the one hand, there is AJ, a Sri Lankan-American, bisexual, non-binary person. On the other hand, there's Danny, a bi trans boy struggling with anxiety and panic attacks.
They both are adorable, and I love how they care about boundaries, and how this book emphasises communication, respect, and consent, because we need more of this in romance books.
This novella is the cutest and I could read about AJ and Danny forever <3 I highly recommend it because it's an #ownvoices book (the author is non-binary) with lots of diversity and nerd stuff. And did I mention it's super cute??? *_*
On the one hand, there is AJ, a Sri Lankan-American, bisexual, non-binary person. On the other hand, there's Danny, a bi trans boy struggling with anxiety and panic attacks.
They both are adorable, and I love how they care about boundaries, and how this book emphasises communication, respect, and consent, because we need more of this in romance books.
This novella is the cutest and I could read about AJ and Danny forever <3 I highly recommend it because it's an #ownvoices book (the author is non-binary) with lots of diversity and nerd stuff. And did I mention it's super cute??? *_*
June 9, 2023
3,5 Sterne
February 3, 2015
One thing that consistently impresses me about Less Than Three is its comittment to characters that read like real people with real problems, making them so much more relatable. In this case, we have Danny's social anxiety issues and AJ's highly overdeveloped care-taking inclinations. Not a story that'll change the world, but you'll recognize at least some aspect of yourself in these characters, and that will probably make your day at least a little brighter.
July 7, 2017
If you're looking for a quick, sweet read, then in picking up Defying Convention, you have come to the exact right place.
Danny and AJ come to meet for the first time at a sci-fi/fantasy convention. So much about the first half of this novella is the two of them trying to work out how their friendship--that has existed for 5 years online--works in real life face to face.
Honestly, they both overthink it too much, but that's just part of who they each are. There are no real dramas and the transition from online friends to in person friends to lovers is really smooth. I especially have a big love for the ending because it is both so sweet and so real because Cecil did such a good job of succinctly setting up Danny's job prospects earlier in the book.
About the only thing that didn't really seem real to me was the absence of other characters. Oh, there were nameless characters wandering around the convention and airport, but the only named character who shared page time with Danny and AJ was an ex-girlfriend who misgendered Danny. Even that, however, doesn't devolve into excessive angst and, in fact, manages to move the relationship between Danny and AJ forward in a constructive way.
What was interesting to me was that, even before that, Danny read as trans to me without it specifically really being on the page. It was actually just a really cool, subtle thing. The other thing I really just have to mention was that AJ, a nonbinary character, liked their breasts. I just... never read something like that on the page before and it filled me up with happiness just to read that one small moment. The full on-the-page quote is below.
Danny and AJ come to meet for the first time at a sci-fi/fantasy convention. So much about the first half of this novella is the two of them trying to work out how their friendship--that has existed for 5 years online--works in real life face to face.
Honestly, they both overthink it too much, but that's just part of who they each are. There are no real dramas and the transition from online friends to in person friends to lovers is really smooth. I especially have a big love for the ending because it is both so sweet and so real because Cecil did such a good job of succinctly setting up Danny's job prospects earlier in the book.
About the only thing that didn't really seem real to me was the absence of other characters. Oh, there were nameless characters wandering around the convention and airport, but the only named character who shared page time with Danny and AJ was an ex-girlfriend who misgendered Danny. Even that, however, doesn't devolve into excessive angst and, in fact, manages to move the relationship between Danny and AJ forward in a constructive way.
What was interesting to me was that, even before that, Danny read as trans to me without it specifically really being on the page. It was actually just a really cool, subtle thing. The other thing I really just have to mention was that AJ, a nonbinary character, liked their breasts. I just... never read something like that on the page before and it filled me up with happiness just to read that one small moment. The full on-the-page quote is below.
August 9, 2018
4.5 stars!
so sweet and adorable!!!
Defying Convention is a novella about two online friends who are meeting for the first time to attend a convention together. They have crushes on each other and they are very cute and I love their love.
The story is told in dual 3rd person pov. Danny and AJ both have distinct voices and personalities. They are round and realistic characters. Danny is bisexual transgender man, he’s about 25 years old I think. He likes scifi movies and he’s just great. AJ is bisexual nonbinary person, they are of Sri Lankan decent and also about 25. AJ is chemist and they are a fan of comics. Also AJ has pink hair. I’m so weak for pink hair, they were my instant fave.
I love the romance between these two. It’s clear they have had five years of shared history and friendship before they start dating. They are such good communicators! They talk things through, making sure everyone is comfortable with what they are doing. I adore strong open recurring verbal consent in romance. The romance feels genuine and sweet. Also there are excellent sex scenes, high praise!
This novella is truly a gem. I haven’t expected anything less from Cecil Wilde, their A Boy Called Cin is stellar and Defying Convention is amazing as well.
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, low self-esteem, deadnaming
so sweet and adorable!!!
Defying Convention is a novella about two online friends who are meeting for the first time to attend a convention together. They have crushes on each other and they are very cute and I love their love.
The story is told in dual 3rd person pov. Danny and AJ both have distinct voices and personalities. They are round and realistic characters. Danny is bisexual transgender man, he’s about 25 years old I think. He likes scifi movies and he’s just great. AJ is bisexual nonbinary person, they are of Sri Lankan decent and also about 25. AJ is chemist and they are a fan of comics. Also AJ has pink hair. I’m so weak for pink hair, they were my instant fave.
I love the romance between these two. It’s clear they have had five years of shared history and friendship before they start dating. They are such good communicators! They talk things through, making sure everyone is comfortable with what they are doing. I adore strong open recurring verbal consent in romance. The romance feels genuine and sweet. Also there are excellent sex scenes, high praise!
This novella is truly a gem. I haven’t expected anything less from Cecil Wilde, their A Boy Called Cin is stellar and Defying Convention is amazing as well.
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, low self-esteem, deadnaming
May 19, 2018
This is a sweet (and hot) novella between a transgender man, Danny, and a gender fluid lead, AJ.
It is a friends to lovers, met online, nerdy good time with the ache of a panic disorder and the angst of meeting in person for the first time.
As with the last Wilde book I read locations are confusing and I would have loved to see the HEA play out a bit more but a really nice romance overall.
July 13, 2016
I received a free copy via Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This was so cute and sweet and charming. I loved both Danny and AJ right away, and I loved how we got to know them without the specifics about their genders (other than their pronouns) until well into the story. I think that was probably the best part and certainly the hallmark of expert writing. I was also thrilled with having the premise revolve around the sci fi/fantasy convention. My inner geek rejoiced, and I wished I was there with them!
The sex was delicious, steamy, and sweet, a perfect combination and a good fit with the rest of the story rather than feeling like an add-on or a distraction. The story would have been fine without it, but it was just as good with it. I loved seeing a couple with an established friendship taking it to another level.
I really appreciated the way the situation with Christie was handled. Too often, it feels like trans stories include transphobia without any real resolution to the characters or scenarios introduced. This had nice closure.
The only thing that made me hesitate is that I thought AJ fell a little bit into a particular narrative of being genderqueer. There could be many reasons for that, and AJ wasn't a cliche, just a bit on the "gender trendy" scale, and only in the physical appearance sense. Everything else definitely "defied convention," as the title suggests.
All in all, this is one of my favorite new stories, and I think I may have to read it several more times just to experience the lovely feelings over again.
This was so cute and sweet and charming. I loved both Danny and AJ right away, and I loved how we got to know them without the specifics about their genders (other than their pronouns) until well into the story. I think that was probably the best part and certainly the hallmark of expert writing. I was also thrilled with having the premise revolve around the sci fi/fantasy convention. My inner geek rejoiced, and I wished I was there with them!
The sex was delicious, steamy, and sweet, a perfect combination and a good fit with the rest of the story rather than feeling like an add-on or a distraction. The story would have been fine without it, but it was just as good with it. I loved seeing a couple with an established friendship taking it to another level.
I really appreciated the way the situation with Christie was handled. Too often, it feels like trans stories include transphobia without any real resolution to the characters or scenarios introduced. This had nice closure.
The only thing that made me hesitate is that I thought AJ fell a little bit into a particular narrative of being genderqueer. There could be many reasons for that, and AJ wasn't a cliche, just a bit on the "gender trendy" scale, and only in the physical appearance sense. Everything else definitely "defied convention," as the title suggests.
All in all, this is one of my favorite new stories, and I think I may have to read it several more times just to experience the lovely feelings over again.
February 5, 2015
Danny and AJ are rooming together at a convention after years of being friends online. They each have feelings for each other, but aren’t sure they are reciprocated.
This book was full of stuff I love – lots of geek references and that mutual hesitation of a friends to lovers romance. It also has two characters who fall under the transgender umbrella (if I’m using that term correctly). Danny was born a female but transitioned to male, and AJ doesn’t fall into any binary (male or female) role.
I’ve never read a book with characters like this before, and the explicit sex scenes in the book were both new to me and still just an expression of love. I struggled a bit, because of the newness. The characters felt new to me and being included in their sex almost felt intrusive. I think that’s a credit to the writing, that the characters felt so real to me.
Their love story was sweet, and I appreciate that it ended with a very hopefully note, as opposed to a unicorns pooping rainbows happily ever after epilogue. I’d recommend this short story to anyone with a love of geek and an mind open to non-traditional gender.
*Note - this novella was 49 pages long on my ereader.
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was full of stuff I love – lots of geek references and that mutual hesitation of a friends to lovers romance. It also has two characters who fall under the transgender umbrella (if I’m using that term correctly). Danny was born a female but transitioned to male, and AJ doesn’t fall into any binary (male or female) role.
I’ve never read a book with characters like this before, and the explicit sex scenes in the book were both new to me and still just an expression of love. I struggled a bit, because of the newness. The characters felt new to me and being included in their sex almost felt intrusive. I think that’s a credit to the writing, that the characters felt so real to me.
Their love story was sweet, and I appreciate that it ended with a very hopefully note, as opposed to a unicorns pooping rainbows happily ever after epilogue. I’d recommend this short story to anyone with a love of geek and an mind open to non-traditional gender.
*Note - this novella was 49 pages long on my ereader.
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2024
This was so sweet! I love a convention romance, and this was a darling example. The heightened emotion makes sense, because it's all happening over a long weekend, at an event away from their homes. But they've been close friends for years, so the connection doesn't feel out of the blue or contrived. I liked how gender was handled. We got who they are right away, pronouns and identities, and body parts didn't come into it until it was pertinent to the story. The incident with the ex was a lot, but I'm glad that she came back around to try to make things right. AJ and especially Danny were able to put it behind them and not let it ruin things.
August 13, 2017
6/10 stars
"I just didn’t feel this one. As a longer story, I think it would have worked much better. - Matt
"I liked, but didn’t love. It was too sweet for my personal taste, and I would’ve needed a bit more of basically everything to give it more than three stars." Maria
Find our full reviews on our blog link: here.
"I just didn’t feel this one. As a longer story, I think it would have worked much better. - Matt
"I liked, but didn’t love. It was too sweet for my personal taste, and I would’ve needed a bit more of basically everything to give it more than three stars." Maria
Find our full reviews on our blog link: here.
January 30, 2015
Danny + AJ
Review @ Scattered Thoughts And Rogue Words
Danny and AJ have been online friends for years, and secretly in love with each other. When the opportunity to attend a comics convention comes up, they decide to go and share a room. But friendship online does not always translate to friendship offline, and both are anxious about how the meeting will go, and the friendship change, when faced with challenges easily avoided behind the safety of computer screens…
“You’re perfect.” AJ smiled up at him as they walked.
Danny smiled shyly and looked down at their joined hands.”I’m not.” He squeezed AJ’s hand. “But it’s awesome that you’d say that.”
“You’re not literally perfect, but you’re perfect to me,”AJ clarified. “Perfect in all your imperfections.”
Defying Convention is the first Cecil Wilde’s book and the first book with a transgender MCs I read. I’m so glad I got a chance at review it. It was an unexpected surprise.
AJ is a non binary, they don’t want to define themselves as female or male gender. They’re a funny and affectionate geek with pink hair and pink bunny slippers.
Danny is a transman, an insecure young man that suffers from panic attacks.
They’ve been best friends online for five years and this is the first time they meet in real life. The occasion is a comics convention and at the same time their five years anniversary. Most of all they’ve been in love with each other but just haven’t realized they already were in a love relationship, even if they haven’t met before.
I think they are perfect together cause they keep each other safe. Especially AJ is so protective and respectful of Danny’s issues, they understand him like no other can. While the cute Danny still can’t believe AJ is real, sometimes he thought he made them up in his mind. Having bad issues with physical contacts, it is so sweet to see him open up with AJ, who are so touchy feely.
In some ways this book was instructive too. I wasn’t aware of the meaning and use of specific terms in the transgender world.
First of all, the author chose to use they/them/their when they referred to AJ and I admit it wasn’t easy to read. I was ready for the use of it/its but I looked out and I understand why Cecil chose them. Still, sometimes it diverted my attention from the story. Nevertheless, as you can see, I chose to follow the author’s lead and so I used the same pronouns in my review too. I want to respect their choice.
I also appreciated how the author addressed some transgender issue. Reading about Aj being so resigned in their everyday challenges, made me want to hug them. I totally understand it’s a serious subject but this is a light and funny book so I was glad it was handled lightly.
Of course this is not an m/m romance, so you need to be ready to read about sex between a transman and a Non Binary friend (with women’s parts). There isn’t a lot of sex, just one scene and really hot(LOL). Reading only m/m books, I can say I usually am very strict and don’t want woman parts in my books. In this one I was well aware of what I was going to read but it didn’t bother me, cause of course AJ has a vagina but I didn’t think of them as a woman. I was pretty good to try to be neutral as they wished.
I realized in Defying Convention the author chose to tell us not much about how AJ and Danny met online and became best friend, perhaps showing us some particular moments in their online time. Cecil gave us just this brief time frame, these five days needful for them to finally be physically together and maybe try to be a couple. I usually am so greedy I always want to know more about everything. In this case I believe focus on “the now” was the perfect choice, at the end we’re talking about a book of just 65 pages.
I’m a sucker for sweet characters, AJ and Danny were so cute together it was impossible not fall in love with them. Add a good writing and a funny story, I can totally say this book was a winner to me. Highly recommended.
Review @ Scattered Thoughts And Rogue Words
Danny and AJ have been online friends for years, and secretly in love with each other. When the opportunity to attend a comics convention comes up, they decide to go and share a room. But friendship online does not always translate to friendship offline, and both are anxious about how the meeting will go, and the friendship change, when faced with challenges easily avoided behind the safety of computer screens…
“You’re perfect.” AJ smiled up at him as they walked.
Danny smiled shyly and looked down at their joined hands.”I’m not.” He squeezed AJ’s hand. “But it’s awesome that you’d say that.”
“You’re not literally perfect, but you’re perfect to me,”AJ clarified. “Perfect in all your imperfections.”
Defying Convention is the first Cecil Wilde’s book and the first book with a transgender MCs I read. I’m so glad I got a chance at review it. It was an unexpected surprise.
AJ is a non binary, they don’t want to define themselves as female or male gender. They’re a funny and affectionate geek with pink hair and pink bunny slippers.
Danny is a transman, an insecure young man that suffers from panic attacks.
They’ve been best friends online for five years and this is the first time they meet in real life. The occasion is a comics convention and at the same time their five years anniversary. Most of all they’ve been in love with each other but just haven’t realized they already were in a love relationship, even if they haven’t met before.
I think they are perfect together cause they keep each other safe. Especially AJ is so protective and respectful of Danny’s issues, they understand him like no other can. While the cute Danny still can’t believe AJ is real, sometimes he thought he made them up in his mind. Having bad issues with physical contacts, it is so sweet to see him open up with AJ, who are so touchy feely.
In some ways this book was instructive too. I wasn’t aware of the meaning and use of specific terms in the transgender world.
First of all, the author chose to use they/them/their when they referred to AJ and I admit it wasn’t easy to read. I was ready for the use of it/its but I looked out and I understand why Cecil chose them. Still, sometimes it diverted my attention from the story. Nevertheless, as you can see, I chose to follow the author’s lead and so I used the same pronouns in my review too. I want to respect their choice.
I also appreciated how the author addressed some transgender issue. Reading about Aj being so resigned in their everyday challenges, made me want to hug them. I totally understand it’s a serious subject but this is a light and funny book so I was glad it was handled lightly.
Of course this is not an m/m romance, so you need to be ready to read about sex between a transman and a Non Binary friend (with women’s parts). There isn’t a lot of sex, just one scene and really hot(LOL). Reading only m/m books, I can say I usually am very strict and don’t want woman parts in my books. In this one I was well aware of what I was going to read but it didn’t bother me, cause of course AJ has a vagina but I didn’t think of them as a woman. I was pretty good to try to be neutral as they wished.
I realized in Defying Convention the author chose to tell us not much about how AJ and Danny met online and became best friend, perhaps showing us some particular moments in their online time. Cecil gave us just this brief time frame, these five days needful for them to finally be physically together and maybe try to be a couple. I usually am so greedy I always want to know more about everything. In this case I believe focus on “the now” was the perfect choice, at the end we’re talking about a book of just 65 pages.
I’m a sucker for sweet characters, AJ and Danny were so cute together it was impossible not fall in love with them. Add a good writing and a funny story, I can totally say this book was a winner to me. Highly recommended.
February 12, 2015
This story perfectly encapsulated a convention weekend. Except the characters had time to eat and sleep. Heh. Danny and AJ, long time internet friends, finally get together in person to attend a con. From the moment they were in each other's space they had physical chemistry, and it became clear pretty quickly that their feelings for each other were more than friendly. As their relationship became sexual, there was very little angst, and there definitely wasn't any miscommunication. They talked openly and explicitly about everything and put each other at ease. After reading so much fic where not talking to each other is common, this was really refreshing. They were also really accepting of things others may have viewed as faults, like drooling, or Danny's dislike of certain social situations. They're perfect for each other, and getting to read about them snuggling and figuring things out, all in a convention setting, was really satisfying.
February 27, 2018
sweet and almost perfect
A bi trans man MC! A bi, nonbinary South Asian MC! Pining! Friends to lovers! One bed! Geeky cuteness! This was so sweet, and it had all my favorite tropes, and the bi representation felt real. There was a cissexist moment, and a minor subplot in which the trans man MC gets very publicly deadnamed and misgendered, which threw me off a bit since I was expecting only sweet fluff. It was handled fairly well, but I'm not entirely sure why it was a part of the story. Overall a cute and fun read, though!
A bi trans man MC! A bi, nonbinary South Asian MC! Pining! Friends to lovers! One bed! Geeky cuteness! This was so sweet, and it had all my favorite tropes, and the bi representation felt real. There was a cissexist moment, and a minor subplot in which the trans man MC gets very publicly deadnamed and misgendered, which threw me off a bit since I was expecting only sweet fluff. It was handled fairly well, but I'm not entirely sure why it was a part of the story. Overall a cute and fun read, though!
October 23, 2015
Fabulous novelette featuring a romance between a trans man and a nonbinary person. Their relationship feels organic and earnest, with excellent pacing throughout the story (helped a bit by the characters' backstory of knowing each other online for five years). Danny also seems to suffer from an anxiety disorder, and I appreciate how it's handled. Overall, I found this to be a well-paced story with likable characters, and enjoyed it very much.
February 2, 2015
This little story was so cute that I feel like a happy fluffy cloud. It wasn't a long story or an overly complicated one, more like something you'd read before Valentine's Day to feel the love. It worked and I'm glad that the main characters were queer(it's about time we see more and better variety of genders and sexualities in books). A strong 5 stars.
April 27, 2015
3.5 stars. As a geek, I had an enjoyable time reading this story set at a sci-fi/fantasy convention. I also really appreciated the intense focus given to issues of consent. I felt it dragged a little long for the amount of story told but overall it was definitely worth my time. :D
January 29, 2025
If this sweet what’s wrong with eet?
I love the premise and I appreciate all the consensual and empath dialogue, the representation is great, it’s steamy, it’s cute, it’s human, they’re lovely people (I do love them, AJ is amazing), but THE THING is:
1. It doesn’t FEEL like they’re at a convention. No word building or descriptions, not enough activities or people to make it believable in the least. We know they’re geeks because we’ve been told so.
2. Since they overthink a lot and are very worried and caring about each other, the dialogues have no content at all, it’s just asking for permission and complimenting the other start to finish, very little context, very little depth, rinse and repeat, and more than once I had to double check if I was reading the same dialogue again.
3. We know NOTHING about their lives or friendship. They met online (not gonna spoil how) and then that’s it, 5 years later and whatever happened in between that we have no idea. Why do they get along? How is this friendship?
I believe a longer story would allow the author to develop the world and the friendship context, as well as giving it any plot at all.
I love the premise and I appreciate all the consensual and empath dialogue, the representation is great, it’s steamy, it’s cute, it’s human, they’re lovely people (I do love them, AJ is amazing), but THE THING is:
1. It doesn’t FEEL like they’re at a convention. No word building or descriptions, not enough activities or people to make it believable in the least. We know they’re geeks because we’ve been told so.
2. Since they overthink a lot and are very worried and caring about each other, the dialogues have no content at all, it’s just asking for permission and complimenting the other start to finish, very little context, very little depth, rinse and repeat, and more than once I had to double check if I was reading the same dialogue again.
3. We know NOTHING about their lives or friendship. They met online (not gonna spoil how) and then that’s it, 5 years later and whatever happened in between that we have no idea. Why do they get along? How is this friendship?
I believe a longer story would allow the author to develop the world and the friendship context, as well as giving it any plot at all.
February 3, 2024
This was a very sweet geeky love story between two queer people who had a beautiful friendship online but hadn't met in person. This is also a love story to sci-fi and how it (and other media) can have a life-saving effect on people who need something to believe in when dealing with hate. For such a short novella Danny and AJ were very fleshed out characters I came to care about quickly. The story was more utopian than I'm used to, especially for queer stories (maybe that's why the author wrote it that way?), but that just made it even lovelier. Wonderful rep of LGBTQ+ people and POC, while dealing carefully and lovingly with mental health issues, body issues, and transphobia. If you want a short queer story that will leave you with all the cozy happy feels, give this one a go.
November 5, 2017
pleasantly surprised! i rlly liked the characters and aj is how i want to b in a couple yrs.
the fandom aspect was handled well i like that they stuck to timeless fandoms and speaking in an everyday manner bc that ages much better
im glad they chose cap and iron man as the comparison becuase theres a long history there and even if i don't personally like a ship w history (like kirk and spock) i can still acknowledge there's sth there and it's not cringey to read
the fandom aspect was handled well i like that they stuck to timeless fandoms and speaking in an everyday manner bc that ages much better
im glad they chose cap and iron man as the comparison becuase theres a long history there and even if i don't personally like a ship w history (like kirk and spock) i can still acknowledge there's sth there and it's not cringey to read
October 31, 2017
Five stars for sweetness. Seriously, if you need a short, sweet friends to lovers story between a trans guy with anxiety and a POC whose pronoun is they, both geeks, at a convention, here you go. It's low-key and satisfying. No caveats on these counts. I'd give four stars for plot, since I generally prefer a little more challenge, but it left me happy. All the stars.
April 30, 2019
A super fun and charming book! I really liked the main characters, and the handling of the real awkwardness of meeting someone "offline". AJ was a great nonbinary character (I particularly liked the discussion on top surgery from both Danny and AJ's perspectives). Danny was relatable in their nervousness. A lovely read that will leave you very warm and satisfied.
June 14, 2017
Funny, hot, and I'm glad that they are happy in the end.
July 25, 2018
So sweet, enjoyed this so much.
November 3, 2018
Read in GEEK OUT: A COLLECTION OF TRANS AND GENDERQUEER ROMANCE.
January 18, 2019
I'm just in love with this book.
August 8, 2021
Sadly, the cover is the best part. Despite the relatability of a trans character with anxiety... everything was just too saccharine and did not hold my attention in the least.
May 26, 2024
Very cute, the bit of spice was unexpected
March 6, 2017
In the beginning I was unsure about this book and these characters. I'm glad I pushed through if only because the story of their relationship so closely mirrored my own and so this felt like wearing a warm, familiar sweater. Short and sweet and non-conforming. A good, wholesome, no-stress read.
February 21, 2015
Review can be read at It's About The Book
Danny and AJ are finally meeting in person. For Danny with his anxiety disorders this is a huge step. AJ is much more self assured. They’re attending a convention together. They’re also sharing a room. Neither one has admitted to the other how long they’ve been in love with each other during their serious, multi-year, online friendship. Unfortunately, an unwelcome blast from the past tests Danny’s abilities to function. Fortunately, AJ is there to help.
Okay, not a lot happened beyond some friends who’ve loved each other a long time finally consummating the physical aspects of that love. They were perfect for each other. Really super perfect for each other. In a treacly way. They were just perfect together. Their love affair was perfect. They had no real personal issues to work through because they were perfect and had already done the hard work and this was just the cherry on the cake of their lives. AJ was especially perfect for Danny. They were soul mates, meant for each other, completed each other. So, a guy finds the perfect person for him and drives all night to get them despite fears of rejection he totally takes the initiative and goes to get his mate! In a book that was largely a rejection of conventional gender roles this felt like a huge fail. For me, this made AJ feel very female.
I’m fine with books about trans characters, or gender fluid characters, or gender neutral characters. I do regret my brain has still not caught up with pronouns. I want my brain to catch up. I hate that my brain has not caught up. AJ is a gender neutral character that uses the pronoun they. I found myself rereading passages looking to find the other person being talked about. Sadly, I have to admit I did this more than once. Ugh. In a book that portrayed human gender and sexuality as palates full of infinite shades of varying grey, there were only three possible options for the people surrounding Danny and AJ; enlightened and perfect, ignorant but well intentioned, or bigot. Really? I guess I get to be ignorant but well intentioned. I get to be classified by the characters in a book about not classifying human gender and sexuality, and I was left feeling a little as though I were being preached to.
This book was far too sweet for me with characters that were portrayed as perfect, yet I felt they ultimately failed to live up to their own perfect ideals completely unbeknown to them.
Danny and AJ are finally meeting in person. For Danny with his anxiety disorders this is a huge step. AJ is much more self assured. They’re attending a convention together. They’re also sharing a room. Neither one has admitted to the other how long they’ve been in love with each other during their serious, multi-year, online friendship. Unfortunately, an unwelcome blast from the past tests Danny’s abilities to function. Fortunately, AJ is there to help.
Okay, not a lot happened beyond some friends who’ve loved each other a long time finally consummating the physical aspects of that love. They were perfect for each other. Really super perfect for each other. In a treacly way. They were just perfect together. Their love affair was perfect. They had no real personal issues to work through because they were perfect and had already done the hard work and this was just the cherry on the cake of their lives. AJ was especially perfect for Danny. They were soul mates, meant for each other, completed each other. So, a guy finds the perfect person for him and drives all night to get them despite fears of rejection he totally takes the initiative and goes to get his mate! In a book that was largely a rejection of conventional gender roles this felt like a huge fail. For me, this made AJ feel very female.
I’m fine with books about trans characters, or gender fluid characters, or gender neutral characters. I do regret my brain has still not caught up with pronouns. I want my brain to catch up. I hate that my brain has not caught up. AJ is a gender neutral character that uses the pronoun they. I found myself rereading passages looking to find the other person being talked about. Sadly, I have to admit I did this more than once. Ugh. In a book that portrayed human gender and sexuality as palates full of infinite shades of varying grey, there were only three possible options for the people surrounding Danny and AJ; enlightened and perfect, ignorant but well intentioned, or bigot. Really? I guess I get to be ignorant but well intentioned. I get to be classified by the characters in a book about not classifying human gender and sexuality, and I was left feeling a little as though I were being preached to.
This book was far too sweet for me with characters that were portrayed as perfect, yet I felt they ultimately failed to live up to their own perfect ideals completely unbeknown to them.
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